East of the Rock "Galaxy Rays" 12 inch Vinyl LP

Vinyl LP -
$11.99

Limited edition, all songs recorded in 1994. Originally released as a test pressing only.

East Of The Rock is one of the most mysterious crews from Chicago’s 90s Hip Hop underground. They don’t have any official releases (except for the 2010 Reissue pictured above), yet they are considered by many in the know to have classic songs…available only as tapes or the infamous test-pressings. There’s at least two noted 12” test presses of E.O.R material, but neither materialized into a proper release. They rocked a series of shows thru out the 90s, but weren’t known for mingling in the crowd or hanging out otherwise.

East Of The Rock = The Flux, The Mad Thinker, Mac 10 & Mr. V, their most well known demo contains four songs- “Egyptian Musk”, “Galaxy Rays”, “Mr Producer”, and “Burnout Assassin” a.k.a “Funky Prescription”. The closest thing to an actual release is their contributed track to Chicago’s 1995 Talent Fest Compilation, “Check The Mic.” Each offering is top notch: musically, lyrically, and stylistically.

For years I wondered not only about their history, but also their disappearance, by the time the late 90s arrived. Then after stumbling upon a Talent Fest Press Release semi-recently I discovered some useful information. Armed with some government names and a Facebook log-in I began a simple investigation, which lead to contact with The Mad Thinker. Check out the interviews at Fifth Element.-Kevin Beacham